Nasal guard for atomizers



July 31, 1934.

F. A. BAILEY 1,968,366

N ASAL GUARD FOR ATOMIZERS Filed July 29, 1932 Fig.1

Patented July 31, 1934 NASAL GUARD FOR ATOMIZERS Frank A. Bailey, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to "The.

De Vilbiss Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 29, 1932, Serial No. 625,742

Claim.

I This invention relates to atomizing instruments of the type employed for applying medicated liquid in a finely atomized form to the nose and throat, and particularly to nasal guards for use on 5 the discharge nozzles of such instruments and which serve as means both for centering and limiting the permissible extent of projection ofthe nozzles into the nostrils and also as a sanitary means for preventing contact of the nozzle with the nostrils.

In the use of atomizers equipped with such guards, it is customary to place the guarded nozzle a sufficient extent into the nostril opening to cause the guard to snugly fit and completely close the opening, so that should a nostril passage be stopped up, pressure applied by operating the atomizer to discharge a spray into the nostril, will cause a pressure to be built up in the communicating sinus and other head passages, which in some instances, might cause injury to the deli cate tissues and membranes exposed to the pressure and which also might tend to force mucous into the'sinus passages and thus aggravate any infection in such area. It has also been contended that there is danger of breaking the ear drums. For these reasons, physicians have, in some cases, advised against the use of atomizers equipped with nasal guards.

The object of this invention is to obviate this objectionable feature of nasal spraying by providing a nasal guard that, however snugly placed against the nostril opening, will permit the escape, past it, of all air entering the nostril through the nozzle on which it is mounted, should there be a backing up of such pressure in the nasal passages.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a few embodiments .40 thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an atomizer equipped with a nasal guardin which channels are formed longitudinally in the exterior surface .45; of the guard for the passage of air from one end end with the tube.

which tubes are disposed side by side and have their outer end portions sprung apart and terminating in inwardly turned portions 2, which form trunnions fitting into axially aligned open-. ings provided in the opposite sides of a nozzle '3 adjacent to its rear end as indicated in Fig. 2 and as well understood in theart. It will be understood that the bores of the two tubes 1, 1, open into a common discharge orifice in the nozzle 3. The nasal guard 4 is of elongated shell form, being preferably formed from sheet metal, and has its forward end closed except for the central opening 5 of suitable size for receiving the discharge end of the nozzle 3. The guard 4 is preferably tapered or longitudinally enlarged in diameter for a dis- (0 tance rearwardly from its forward end and slightly contracted in gradually tapered form to slightv 1y restrict the rear open end. The guard is of suitable length to cause its rear restricted end to extend slightly beyond the point of maximum width of the tubes 1, 1, when the guard is placed over the nozzle and the outer ends of the tubes, with the nozzle projecting through the forward opening 5. The guard is circular in cross section and the diameter of the rear end opening thereof is slightly less in length than the distance between the more remotely spaced outer side portions of the tubes, thereby causing the guard, when forced rearward into operative position over the tubes, to eifect a slight inward springing of the tubes, so that the guard is held in position on the nozzle and tubes by the frictional engagement of its rear end portion with the tubes. In this manner, the guard has centering engagement at its forward end with the nozzle and at its rear The guard, as thus described,

is of the same general form and character as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent In adapting this guard to the present invention, it is provided in substantially equidistantly spaced relation therearound with a plurality of longitudinally extending depressions 6 forming the guard with external channelsor passages which extend lengthwise thereof from near its forward end to near its rear end. The provision of the channels 6 divides the guard circumferentially from near one end to the other thereof with a plurality of alternating longitudinally extending ribs and channels, the former providing a plurality of portions for centering engagement with the wall of a nostril opening when inserted therein, and the latter providing passages between the guard and nostril wall for the escape of air under pressure from the nostril, with one end opening into the 110 nostril and the other end opening without the point of engagement of the nostril wall with the guard.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a slightly different form of guard of this character, which is made of molded or cast material and adapted to be mounted on the discharge end of an atomizer of the concentric tube type. In this form, the body portion 10 of the guard is of tubular form, with an opening of a size adapting it to receive and be mounted on the discharge end of the atomizer tube 11, and said portion 10 is provided therearound with a plurality of longitudinally extending equidistantly spaced ribs 12, which gradually increase in depth rearwardly to near the rear end of the guard and then are preferably gradually reduced to some extent. It is apparent that this provides the guard with a plurality of longitudinally extending radial projections for engagement with the wall of a nozzle opening in which inserted, and also provides relief passages or channels between said projections.

It is apparent that the guards shown provide a means for dilating and centering the discharge nozzle in a nostril opening and at the same time limiting the extent of projection of the nozzle into the nostril, and also provides passages between the nozzle wall-engaging portions of the guard for the escape from the nasal passage of any back pressure created therein by an operation of the atomizer.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

A nozzle member for nasal atomizers including a body having an axial passage extending through the same and defining an inlet and an outlet, the passage being adapted to receive an atomizer discharge conduit, said body having axially extending alternating and spaced ribs and channels, said body having its outer end tapered to be received in a nostril and being enlarged adjacent its inner end to form a stop means to limit the extent of insertion of the body in the nostril and to dispose the inner end of the body outwardly beyond the nostril, the channels having closed sides and bottoms and open tops and extending beyond opposite sides of the enlarged portion whereby the outer ends of the channels are disposed within the nostril and the inner ends of the channels are disposed outwardly beyond the nos- FRANK A. BAILEY. 

